Rock the houseboat

A weekend in Berlin can change the way you see the world. Art, music, clubs, weirdness, after-parties, and - with all the creative energy of Shoreditch and Williamsburg but without the high rents - some of the most exciting, artsy neighbourhoods in the world.

For somewhere suitably off-the-wall to sleep at night, there's the Michelberger (hip-vintage-converted-factory); and now, on the edge of hip Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, there's a brilliant new option for those who prefer space and solitude: the Modern Houseboat.

Moored in a bay on the River Spree, the houseboat is befitting of Berlin contemporary quirkiness: beautifully designed, modernism at its best: big spaces (60m2); raw, architectural materials in clean, geometric shapes; lots of glass, wood, concrete. But comfortable, too, with shades of Mondrian in the boxy sofas, and a wood-burning stove for warmth in biting Berlin winters.

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The sense of space is heightened by the wall of windows along the length of the houseboat, which can be pulled back to open up the bedroom, kitchen/diner, and living room, which all look straight out across the water. Except the odd wave when a hefty ship pulls up-river, there's barely a ripple to rock the houseboat. A deck runs along the outside, where ducks and geese and, occasionally, a swan called Ludwig - a reminder that not everything in this country is modern - paddle by.

It comes with a couple of handmade Bella Ciao bikes (made in Italy, finished in Germany) for exploring the surrounding neighbourhood.

The Modern Houseboat, Rummelsburger See, River Spree, Berlin. Book through Welcome Beyond (+49 163 737 2509; www.welcomebeyond.com). From €180 a night for two people; minimum stay three nights.